Cheques 'are still useful'

Wednesday, November 25th 2009

The cheque system should not be abolished as this method of payment is still useful to many people, according to Which?.

It emerged earlier this week that the Payments Council is expected to meet in December to discuss whether to scrap cheques, several months after announcing that the cheque guarantee scheme will close in 2011.

James Daley, money editor at Which?, said it would be wrong to do away with cheques altogether as many consumers still rely on them - particularly those who are housebound.

"For some people it's the only way they feel comfortable paying tradesmen - sometimes the only way they can pay [them]," he remarked.

"It's very useful for making postal payments and for clubs and societies."

Mr Daley added that he would not want to see cheques abolished until a cheap, safe alternative is made available.

According to a recent Which consumer survey, 92 per cent of Britons have written a cheque in the last year - with older people the most likely to make use of this payment method.